Ear Reconstruction - Preparing Your Child
If your child was born with microtia you may come to the point where you feel ear reconstruction surgery is in his or her best interests.
The age at which you decide to pursue surgery will vary depending on a lot of factors, but when you and your child are ready, there are several things you can do to prepare your youngster for the procedure.
First, make sure you explain a little about what they can expect on surgery day.
Unexpected surprises at the surgery could make your child feel a bit panicked.
Make sure he understands that the doctor will give him an IV and will send medication into that IV to help him sleep, and that he will sleep through the procedure.
After this step the patient will have medicines to keep him from feeling much pain, but there could be a little bit of pain.
Your child should also understand that a full ear reconstruction takes several stages.
This means that there are several procedures performed before the job is completely finished, four to be exact.
Only the first stage requires a hospital stage.
At that stage, cartilage from the child's ribs is removed and used to build the external portion of the ear.
The other three stages are performed on an outpatient basis.
The process takes a long time, and your child should understand this.
Each stage is spaced with two to three months between, allowing the area to fully heal before the next stage occurs.
You need to make sure that your child understands the results will not be instant, and that he or she is ready for this long process.
Once the four stages of ear reconstruction are finished, you may pursue middle ear surgery.
This allows the child to hear better on the affected side.
Make sure your child understands the possibility for this additional surgery, even after the area "looks normal.
" You should also explain to your child about the recovery period.
Some activities may be limited as the area heals.
For instance, activities that could cause trauma to the ears, such as certain sports, may need to be postponed until the surgeries are complete or the area has completely healed after one particular procedure.
If your child has extra curricular activities that might need to be stopped for a while, make sure this is clearly understood.
Finally, prepare your child by not making the ear reconstruction scarier than it needs to be.
Assure your child that you will be there the entire time, and answer all questions truthfully, but carefully.
Surgery is scary no matter how old you are, and when you are young and have never experienced it before, it is even more so.
It might help if you take the attitude that your child is a hero for willingly facing this challenge head-on.
Do not push your child for surgery if he or she is not ready.
Remember, while this is a medical condition and does affect your child's hearing, it is not life threatening.
Share the facts, be open and honest, but be willing to wait a year or two if your child is too scared.
The age at which you decide to pursue surgery will vary depending on a lot of factors, but when you and your child are ready, there are several things you can do to prepare your youngster for the procedure.
First, make sure you explain a little about what they can expect on surgery day.
Unexpected surprises at the surgery could make your child feel a bit panicked.
Make sure he understands that the doctor will give him an IV and will send medication into that IV to help him sleep, and that he will sleep through the procedure.
After this step the patient will have medicines to keep him from feeling much pain, but there could be a little bit of pain.
Your child should also understand that a full ear reconstruction takes several stages.
This means that there are several procedures performed before the job is completely finished, four to be exact.
Only the first stage requires a hospital stage.
At that stage, cartilage from the child's ribs is removed and used to build the external portion of the ear.
The other three stages are performed on an outpatient basis.
The process takes a long time, and your child should understand this.
Each stage is spaced with two to three months between, allowing the area to fully heal before the next stage occurs.
You need to make sure that your child understands the results will not be instant, and that he or she is ready for this long process.
Once the four stages of ear reconstruction are finished, you may pursue middle ear surgery.
This allows the child to hear better on the affected side.
Make sure your child understands the possibility for this additional surgery, even after the area "looks normal.
" You should also explain to your child about the recovery period.
Some activities may be limited as the area heals.
For instance, activities that could cause trauma to the ears, such as certain sports, may need to be postponed until the surgeries are complete or the area has completely healed after one particular procedure.
If your child has extra curricular activities that might need to be stopped for a while, make sure this is clearly understood.
Finally, prepare your child by not making the ear reconstruction scarier than it needs to be.
Assure your child that you will be there the entire time, and answer all questions truthfully, but carefully.
Surgery is scary no matter how old you are, and when you are young and have never experienced it before, it is even more so.
It might help if you take the attitude that your child is a hero for willingly facing this challenge head-on.
Do not push your child for surgery if he or she is not ready.
Remember, while this is a medical condition and does affect your child's hearing, it is not life threatening.
Share the facts, be open and honest, but be willing to wait a year or two if your child is too scared.
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